County resource guide
Autism Resources in Pennington County, South Dakota
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Pennington County. South Dakota statewide resources also apply.
Pennington County (Rapid City) is home to the Black Hills region's largest city. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital provides evaluation services. Rapid City Area Schools provides special education with autism-specific programs. South Dakota Parent Connection (SD PTI) provides free statewide IEP advocacy. Families seeking the most specialized evaluations sometimes travel to Sioux Falls. SD's Birth to 3 program serves young children.
Provider directory
Local Providers36 providers in Pennington County
About our listings
Provider listings on Autism Parent Club are submitted by practices or researched from public sources. All listings are reviewed by a person before publication, and no provider has paid to appear here. Read how we verify listings, or use the “Suggest a correction” link below to flag anything inaccurate.
0 providers in Pennington County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.
Diagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Rapid City · multi-county
Monument Health — Pediatric Autism Evaluation
Custer · multi-county
Monument Health Custer Hospital — Developmental Referrals
Monument Health Custer Hospital provides primary care and developmental referrals for Custer County families. Rapid City (~50 miles) is the primary hub for autism evaluations in the southern Black Hills.
Hot Springs · multi-county
Monument Health Hot Springs — Developmental Referrals
Monument Health Hot Springs Hospital serves Fall River County and provides developmental referrals for autism evaluations to Rapid City (~55 miles), the Black Hills regional hub.
VA Black Hills Health Care System is also nearby — serves veteran families with autism-related needs.
Philip · multi-county
Monument Health Rapid City — Developmental Referrals (Haakon County)
Haakon County families in Philip access developmental and autism evaluation services through Monument Health Rapid City (~90 miles west) or Sanford Pierre (~75 miles east). Philip is a very small town in one of SD's most sparsely populated counties.
Philip is equidistant between Rapid City and Pierre — telehealth is critical for most specialty services.
Kadoka · multi-county
Monument Health Rapid City — Developmental Referrals (Jackson County)
Jackson County families in Kadoka access developmental and autism evaluation services through Monument Health Rapid City (~100 miles west) or Sanford Pierre (~100 miles northeast). Jackson County is one of SD's most isolated counties.
Kadoka is ~2 hours from both major SD medical hubs. Telehealth is essential.
Sturgis · multi-county
Monument Health Sturgis Hospital — Developmental Referrals
Monument Health Sturgis Hospital provides pediatric primary care and developmental referrals for Meade County families. For comprehensive autism evaluations, families are referred to Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, the regional hub in the Black Hills.
Rapid City (~30 min) is the primary hub for full autism evaluations in the Black Hills region.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Rapid City · multi-county
SD Birth to 3 — Pennington County
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Spearfish · multi-county
Behavioral Health Services SD — Black Hills Region
ABA services for Lawrence County families through the Black Hills region network. Clinicians split time between Spearfish and Rapid City; in-home delivery available for rural clients.
SD Medicaid covers ABA. Commercial insurance ABA mandate also applies.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
Carelinks ABA — Sioux Falls
In-home ABA therapy for children ages 2–21 in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, Brookings, and throughout South Dakota.
Source: https://www.carelinksaba.com/south-dakota
Custer · multi-county
Centria Autism — Telehealth ABA (Custer County)
Telehealth ABA therapy for Custer County families in the southern Black Hills. BCBA-supervised parent training and behavior support. SD Medicaid accepted. Rapid City in-person ABA is ~50 min away.
SD Medicaid covers ABA therapy. Home to Custer State Park — tourist economy with rural year-round residents.
Sturgis · multi-county
Centria Autism — Telehealth ABA (Meade County)
Telehealth ABA therapy for Meade County families, including military families stationed at Ellsworth AFB. BCBA-supervised parent training and behavior support. SD Medicaid and TRICARE accepted.
TRICARE covers ABA therapy for military dependents. SD Medicaid also accepted for eligible children.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
LifeScape — Sioux Falls Autism Services
ABA therapy program for children up to 18 with autism in Sioux Falls. Tailored intervention in clinic, home, or combined settings. Also serves Rapid City.
Source: https://www.lifescapesd.org/outpatient-therapy-behavioral-health/autism-services/
Speech therapy
Speech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.
Rapid City · multi-county
Children's Therapy Associates — Speech Rapid City
Respite care
Respite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.
Statewide · multi-county
South Dakota Respite Care Program
A straightforward state program: up to $600 a year for the first eligible person in a family and $200 for each additional one, capped at $1,000 per family per year running June to May. Eligibility is unusually broad — developmental disability at any age, developmental delay from birth to three, serious emotional disturbance in a child, severe and persistent mental illness in an adult, a chronic medical condition in a child, traumatic brain injury, or an adopted child with or without a disability.
The program year runs 1 June to 31 May, so apply early in that window rather than late. South Dakota Parent Connection helps families with the paperwork.
~3,000 providers nationwide
ARCH National Respite Locator
A free national database of respite providers searchable by state and locality — home care agencies, community-based organizations and state programs. The single best starting point for finding respite anywhere in the country, and it is the tool state agencies themselves point families toward.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Before you pay out of pocket, check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds — respite is covered by nearly every state waiver, and many families never think to ask.
Most states run one
Your state's Lifespan Respite Care Program
Lifespan Respite Care Programs are federally seeded, state-run programs that help families of any age and any disability find and pay for respite — often including vouchers or subsidies that do not depend on having a Medicaid waiver. Most states have one, they are chronically under-used, and they are rarely mentioned by anyone else in the system.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Search for "[your state] Lifespan Respite" or use the ARCH directory. Ask specifically about voucher or subsidy programs — that is the part families most often miss.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Rapid City · multi-county
Autism Society of South Dakota — Rapid City Chapter
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
South Dakota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for SD families. An especially critical resource in a rural state with limited specialized providers.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential in South Dakota's rural service landscape.
Sturgis · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
South Dakota's federally funded PTI offers free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for Meade County families navigating special education in the Black Hills area.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential before any IEP meeting or school dispute in SD.
Custer · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
Free IEP advocacy and one-on-one support from SD's federally funded PTI for Custer County families. SDPC provides statewide phone and remote support for families in the southern Black Hills.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Hot Springs · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection
Free IEP advocacy and one-on-one support from SD's federally funded PTI for Fall River County families. SDPC provides statewide phone and remote support for families in the southern Black Hills.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Spearfish · multi-county
South Dakota Parent Connection — Black Hills Outreach
SDPC IEP advocacy and parent training for Lawrence County. Deadwood-area and Spearfish families can access phone and in-person support through SDPC's Black Hills outreach.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Activities, clubs & recreation
Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
Autism Society of South Dakota
An all-volunteer Autism Society affiliate running a summer sports camp alongside support group meetings, referrals and life skills support. Volunteer-run means capacity varies year to year, so ask what is actually running before planning around it.
South Dakota · multi-county
Dakota at Home - summer and special interest camps
The state's own searchable resource directory carries summer camp and special interest camp listings for South Dakotans with disabilities. An official, maintained index, which matters more than usual in a state with little organized provision.
Sioux Falls · multi-county
LifeScape
Services for children and adults with disabilities across South Dakota, including autism services and therapies, with sites at Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Not primarily a recreation provider, but the largest disability organization in the state and the most likely to know what runs locally.
200+ locations nationwide
ACEing Autism
Weekly Saturday tennis clinics built specifically for autistic children aged 5 to 18, run by volunteers at more than 200 locations across the country, serving over 7,000 players. Sessions run in six-week blocks of an hour. This is the clearest example of the interest-based model working: the sport supplies the structure, the turn-taking and the reason to be there, so the social side happens sideways rather than being the task.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Cost varies by location — around $120 for a six-week session at some sites, with scholarships available. Use the map on their site to find your nearest program, schedule and local contact.
~4,000 camps nationwide
American Camp Association — camp finder
A free searchable directory of close to 4,000 summer camps that can be filtered for camps serving autistic campers, by distance, session length, activities and cost. The best single starting point for finding a day or overnight camp anywhere in the country.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Registration for specialized camps typically opens December–February and popular overnight camps fill within days. Start the funding conversation in autumn.
Nationwide — find your local chapter
Best Buddies
One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, plus employment, leadership and inclusive living programs. Over 4,000 chapters across all 50 states, serving school-age through adult. If what your family wants is a friend rather than an activity, this is the most direct answer in the country.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
A national organization, not a local listing — use the finder on their site, or call 1-800-89BUDDY, to locate your nearest chapter.
Local affiliates across most of the country
Easterseals — camps and recreation
Day and overnight camps run through local Easterseals affiliates, several of them autism-specific, with weekend respite and family camp sessions as well. Many affiliates operate sliding-scale fees, and several camps serve adults alongside children.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Programs vary a great deal between affiliates — check what your nearest one actually runs rather than assuming the national description applies.
Week-long camps hosted nationwide
iCan Shine (iCan Bike)
Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle, using adapted roller bikes over a week-long camp that gradually transfers balance to the rider. Learning to ride a bike is a milestone a lot of autistic children are quietly written off for, and this is the program that most reliably delivers it. Camps are hosted by local organizations across the country, so availability is by host town rather than by chapter.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Check their site for host locations and dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.
Local chapters in a number of US cities
KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)
Volunteer-led one-to-one recreation for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities, at no cost to families or carers. The one-to-one model is the point: a volunteer is paired with your child for the session, which makes it workable for people who cannot manage a group setting unsupported.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Free to families. Runs through local chapters in a number of US cities rather than everywhere — check whether yours has one.
900+ divisions nationwide
Little League Challenger Division
Baseball for children and adults with a physical or intellectual disability, across more than 900 divisions. The main division serves ages 4–18, or up to 22 if still enrolled in school; the Senior League Challenger Division serves 15 and above with no upper age limit.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Use the league finder on their site to locate the nearest Challenger division, or ask about starting one.
200+ communities
Miracle League
Baseball on purpose-built accessible fields in more than 200 communities. Every player bats and every player scores, so ability differences do not decide the game.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Check their location list for the nearest field — coverage is good but not universal.
Every state — county-level programs
Special Olympics
Year-round sports training and competition at no cost to the athlete or their family, for children and adults alike. Programs run at county level in every state.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Eligibility centers on intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability. If your child is autistic without an intellectual disability, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after.
Through local clubs and state associations
TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)
The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, usually with buddy support on the pitch. Run through ordinary local soccer clubs rather than as a separate organization.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Ask your state youth soccer association which local clubs run TOPSoccer — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.
For providers
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School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Pennington County.
School & special education
- Rapid City Area School District — Special Education
Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County. Visit district homepage and navigate to Special Education.
Services & benefits
- South Dakota DHS — Pennington County DD Services
Contact SD DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities for Pennington County waiver enrollment.
Adult services
- South Dakota DHS — Pennington County DD Services
Contact SD DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities for Pennington County waiver enrollment.
Respite & support
- South Dakota DHS — Pennington County DD Services
Contact SD DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities for Pennington County waiver enrollment.
Helpful guides
Guides for Pennington County families
Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.
School & IEP
Navigating the IEP process
Your rights under IDEA, how evaluations work, and what every IEP section means.
Finding help
ABA, OT, speech and waitlists
How to find qualified providers, navigate insurance, and get off waitlists faster.
Getting started
Where to start after diagnosis
A week-by-week checklist for the first 90 days — from evaluation to early intervention.
Benefits & money
SSI, Medicaid waivers, ABLE accounts
Federal benefits your child may qualify for and how to apply without losing your spot.
Mental health
Co-occurring conditions and support
Managing anxiety, ADHD, and depression alongside an autism diagnosis.
Daily life
Sensory processing and OT
Understanding sensory needs, sensory diets, and how occupational therapy helps.
Adulthood
Employment, housing, legal planning
Supported employment, housing options, guardianship alternatives, and ABLE accounts.
Communities served
Cities in Pennington County
Serving families across Pennington County including Rapid City, Box Elder, Ellsworth AFB, Summerset, New Underwood, Wall, Quinn, Interior, Wasta and Caputa and more.
See all South Dakota resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in South Dakota.
South Dakota state guide →Common questions
Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.
How many autism providers serve Pennington County, South Dakota?
We list 24 providers serving Pennington County, covering activities, clubs & recreation, parent & family support, ABA therapy, speech therapy and diagnostic clinics, plus 3 more. Some are based in the county and others serve it from nearby areas. Every listing is reviewed by a person before it is published.
Which autism providers in Pennington County accept Medicaid?
2 of the providers we list for Pennington County state that they accept Medicaid, including Centria Autism — Telehealth ABA (Custer County) and Centria Autism — Telehealth ABA (Meade County). Coverage and plan participation change often, so confirm directly with the provider before your first appointment.
Where can I find ABA therapy in Pennington County?
ABA providers serving Pennington County are listed in the ABA therapy section of this page, with phone numbers and websites. Many deliver services in the family's home or at school as well as in a clinic. Ask about waitlists when you call — they vary widely and change month to month.
Are there telehealth autism services for Pennington County families?
Yes — 4 providers serving Pennington County offer telehealth or virtual sessions. This is often the fastest route to support for families in rural areas or on long local waitlists.
Can autism therapy happen at home in Pennington County?
2 providers serving Pennington County deliver services in the family's home. Many children do better in a familiar setting than in an unfamiliar clinic room, and in-home visits remove the travel burden.
Does Medicaid pay for autism services in South Dakota?
South Dakota families can apply to the CHOICES and Family Support 360 waivers, a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is Generally served without a long queue; risk-based priority if a list forms, and your place is usually set by the date you apply — so applying early matters even if you are unsure what services you need. Many waivers also disregard parental income, so families who don't qualify for regular Medicaid often still qualify here.
What if I can't find an autism provider in Pennington County?
If none of the Pennington County providers is the right fit, these South Dakota counties currently have the most listed providers: Brown County (29), Codington County (28), Davison County (25), Sanborn County (24). Many providers travel or offer telehealth, so it is worth calling even if they are not based nearby. You can also tell us about a provider we are missing.
Nearby counties in South Dakota
You know things we don’t
Still missing from Pennington County
These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Pennington Countygets an afternoon back. It takes about a minute and you don’t need to know the business details — a name and a rough location is enough for us to check.
- Which dentist here has managed a cleaning without it becoming a fight?
- Who cuts your child's hair without a meltdown?
- Is there a group here where your child has made a friend?
- Which pediatrician here actually listens, and doesn't rush the appointment?
We check everything before it goes up, and nobody pays to be listed. How we verify.
Get told when this page changes
New provider in Pennington County? We'll email you.
One email when we verify a new provider in Pennington County — no newsletter, no digest, nothing else. Some counties hear from us a few times a year and some stay quiet for months; we would rather send you nothing than send you filler.
We store your address and county, and nothing else. How we handle it.
See something that needs fixing?
Providers move, phone numbers change, and links break — it happens. If anything on this page is out of date, wrong, or no longer working, please tell us and we’ll fix it. Keeping this accurate for autism families is the whole reason we’re here.
Report a correction →Help the community
Know a great provider in Pennington County?
If a therapist, clinic, or specialist helped your family, tell us about them and we’ll add them to the directory so other families can find them too.
Tell us about a provider →For providers
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